Here we are, staring at the last hours of Saturday whooshing past us. Nancy is wicked sick with a sinus infection (the same one I am starting to recover from)... but unable to sleep because her head is so congested. Instead, we stare into our respective computer screens, pounding away missives to an audience that hopefully is in better health.
This evening we watched Julie and Julia. I guess based on my love for food, blogging and the previews and cast, I thought this would be an awesome movie. It wasn't. I love watching Amy Adams, but her character was a nut. Streep will always be one of the best actresses to grace the screen... but as Child, she was too good. She genuinely made it hard to watch. There is a reason no one watches two hours of Julia Child cooking... you'd go bonkers having to listen to that voice. The best scene in the movie was the video of Dan Akroyd imitating Julia Child. That was funny. Overall, it lacked any major interest. The cinematography was pretty lame. Considering that most food bloggers acknowledge that good food deserves great images, this film was anything but sensual when it came to the food. Instead I was left feeling like I had watched two narcissistic women on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I wasn't the least bit hungry.
Compare that to Chocolat with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp... now THAT was a film that a foodie can get into. The sensuality, the colors, the textures and how it all echoed the human condition. That was compelling! Sorry Julia/Julie. In the end, they both may have mastered French cooking, but they never learned about food.
1 comment:
We totally had the same take on Julie/Julia.
A complete letdown--in fact I think we labeled it a catastrophe when we saw it in the theater--especially after the rather enjoyable book. Though I will say that I thought Meryl Streep's Julia Child was by far the highlight of the film. Whenever the movie's structure necessitated moving away from her I was first disappointed and then completely exasperated at having to watch Amy Adams shrieking and stumbling through another few pages of lines. True, I can't say that I've ever been much of an Amy Adams fan to begin with but I really expected that this role would have the sort of meat she could work with. But then it is just too easy to wear oversized clothes and look helpless. The book develops such a great (and I know Julie Powell is a real person and all but I'm going to say this in fiction terms) character development for her as she changes through the stresses of the year yet the movie totally eschews that in favor of a bunch of gratuitous sloppy make outs and useless go-nowhere quips.
And come on, that trumped up fight which resulted in Eric leaving was maybe one of the worst conceived scenes I have ever had the displeasure to pay to see.
Terrible terrible movie. But I do suggest you check out the book if you haven't. Except for the first few chapters it's really a great read.
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